


Chasing Light

by acciomerlin



Series: Modern AUs [11]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Domestic Fluff, Fluff, Friendship, I just love these three so much and they deserve happiness, Love Confessions, M/M, Secret Relationship, The limit does not exist for Merthur fluff, wholesome stuff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-08
Updated: 2021-03-08
Packaged: 2021-03-17 03:14:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,330
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29835159
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/acciomerlin/pseuds/acciomerlin
Summary: Gwen took a deep breath. “I don’t normally do this but I was just wondering if –um, if I could have your number.”Arthur stared at her, eyes wide and his blood freezing in his veins.But then she took in his shocked expression and chuckled, clarifying hastily, "Not for me! It's for my best mate. The artist?” She flushed a little as she continued, "I'm a bit of a mother hen about him and ...well, don't tell him I told you this but Merlin has a thing for blondes."orIn which Merlin neglects to tell Gwen about his relationship with Arthur, and Gwen happens to meet him on her own anyway.
Relationships: Merlin/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Series: Modern AUs [11]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1919635
Comments: 32
Kudos: 349





	Chasing Light

**Author's Note:**

  * For [emrysflower](https://archiveofourown.org/users/emrysflower/gifts).



> A very, very late happy birthday to my favourite girl Em! The gift may be late but my love remains as strong as ever :')
> 
> Okay so the crux of this story is something that actually happened with me in February.  
> Both of my best friends told me on the same day that they'd been hiding their months-long relationships from me for various personal reasons (that I fully plagiarised in this story 🤫).  
> Anyway, after I got over the incident, my first thought was to make a fic out of it and here I am hahahah (someone get me out this merthur brainrot)

"Merlin."

Merlin stirred but didn't open his eyes.

There was a kiss pressed into his hair and warm fingers slipped under his shirt, trailing his bare side.

"Come on. Wake up."

He shivered at the contact but didn't respond, snuggling deeper into the toasty warmth that was enveloping him.

The previous night, a thoroughly exhausted Arthur had turned up at Merlin’s flat seeking asylum from the crushing workload and stress that seemed to follow him during weekdays and despite it being only a Wednesday, Merlin had supplied him with beer and fried food and bad TV.

They’d had a pretty late night and Merlin couldn’t believe the man was awake enough to actually go into work at eight in the morning. Merlin would need at least three whole hours to even consider being productive. He would have never lasted in the corporate world and could only be thankful that he was talented enough to make it as a semi-successful artist (soon to be fully successful).

Well, at least Arthur seemed to be in a much better mood.

To quickly corroborate that claim, there was a soft chuckle from above Merlin, and the hand skirting his skin lightly settled over his ribs.

"I'm serious, Merlin,” Arthur whispered. “I have to go. You said you'd have me executed in the town square if I left without saying goodbye again, which, by the way, was terribly medieval of you. I at least deserve an electric chair."

Merlin smiled into the pillow. “When did I say that?”

“Pretty sure you were drunk but the threat was very real,” Arthur said gravely, and made a movement as if to get up.

Merlin was very much in objection to that and acted quickly, turning around to wind his arms tightly around his torso. _"No."_

Arthur huffed, amused. "What do you mean 'no'?"

"No, you can't leave. It's much too soon," Merlin complained and slung a leg over Arthur's hips to physically prevent his departure.

"Merlin."

"Why do you have to go?"

"Duty calls,” Arthur sighed, his fingers slowly and casually circling Merlin’s wrist to detangle himself from the embrace; as though Merlin wouldn’t notice what he was doing. Prat.

He continued, “By duty, I mean get shredded apart by my father for choosing to not make a deal with the company that's definitely in debilitating debt."

"I don't care,” Merlin said, leaning up to sleepily mouth along Arthur’s neck. “Someone else can listen to your dad be an arse."

Arthur laughed, a little breathily and Merlin noted that there was an interesting shade of red climbing up his skin.

However, before he could properly investigate it, Arthur freed himself from Merlin's hold. "Unfortunately, that position is held exclusively by me,” he replied.

He tilted Merlin's chin up and pressed a quick kiss to his lips. "I'll see you on the weekend."

Merlin nodded a little resignedly, sinking back into the pillows and watching Arthur get ready.

"What are your plans today?" Arthur asked idly, as he attempted to button his shirt and look for his socks at the same time.

Merlin shrugged and let his gaze follow the movement of Arthur’s hands. "I don't know, I'm mostly free. I'll work on the new piece a bit and then maybe meet up with Gwen later.”

Merlin realised his mistake a second too late.

There was a pregnant pause and the bed dipped as Arthur slowly sat down on it.

Merlin’s heart rate picked up just a tick, and he averted his eyes –taking a keen interest in the bedding.

"Speaking of Gwen," Arthur drawled casually, leaning on one arm and trying to catch Merlin’s eye. "Have you still not told her about us?"

Gwen was Merlin’s best friend in the entire world since they were ten years old. She was the one who’d carried him through his childhood, supported him through the panic of his gay awakening, punched Cedric White in the nose when he’d made homophobic comments behind Merlin’s back, she’d helped him sneak in a kitten in the chemistry lab, wiped his tears when he’d had his first big breakdown in art school and Gwen was the one who’d bought the first painting he’d ever sold. It was still hung proudly in her living room and Merlin couldn’t help but smile every time he saw it.

Gwen was the one Merlin told _everything._

Except…except Merlin hadn’t told her about Arthur.

He groaned, smothering his face with a pillow to avoid answering Arthur.

“Merlin.”

Merlin cursed himself for bringing up Gwen first thing in the morning, but then again, he wasn’t to be entirely blamed. Watching Arthur dress was far too distracting to really monitor what was coming out of his mouth.

“ _Merlin,”_ Arthur repeated insistently, his tone taking on a hint of impatience.

Merlin valiantly removed the pillow from over his face and met Arthur’s gaze, exhaling, "I will."

Arthur stared back. "It's been half a year."

"Five months," Merlin muttered.

"Five months," Arthur conceded. "Which is still too long to be in a secret relationship for absolutely no reason. She's your best friend."

Merlin grinned broadly, batting his eyelashes. " _You’re_ my best friend."

Arthur rolled his eyes but his lips twitched. "I am definitely not," he scoffed. "That coveted position was taken long before I came along.” He sighed, rubbing a tired hand across his brows. “Just tell her, Merlin. She's important to you, so she’s important to me. I feel like I haven't got the seal of approval until she knows."

"Mmm,” Merlin hummed. “In that case, you definitely don't want me to tell her about you."

Arthur glared at him like an angry puppy and Merlin laughed, pulling on his arm to make him lie beside Merlin.

“I promise I’ll tell her, Arthur,” Merlin assured him. “It’s nothing you need to worry about.”

Arthur stared up at the ceiling. “It’s just –” he swallowed. “It’s only that I –I sometimes wonder why you keep putting it off. Surely you didn’t keep all your relationships hidden from her for this long. Is it me?”

Merlin’s heart squeezed painfully and he scrambled to sit up, putting a hand on Arthur’s cheek and turning his face towards him. "Listen, it's nothing to do with you and everything to do with me, okay? You’re amazing and I _know_ Gwen is going to love you."

Arthur looked unconvinced and Merlin sighed, closing his eyes for a brief second. "I'm just..." he tried. “I know I’m stalling. I know that. But I’m nervous, for some reason, Arthur. I'm not saying it's rational but...." he exhaled, steeling himself and locking his gaze with Arthur’s. “You’re right. I need to stop being silly and tell her. I’ll do it soon, okay? I promise."

Arthur studied Merlin for a moment, assessing, and then his face finally broke out into a tentative smile. “Yeah. Yeah, okay. Thank you.”

Merlin chuckled fondly and leaned down for a long kiss that nearly ended with Arthur's clothes back on the floor.

However, after long moments of licking into Merlin's mouth, he seemed to remember himself and pulled away hastily to look at his wristwatch. He swore under his breath, proceeding to straighten up and stumble towards the door. He was too dishevelled to look any level of professional and Merlin couldn't help but feel a little smug.

He turned around to give Merlin one last soft smile that had him feeling a little weak-kneed, and then Arthur was gone.

Merlin heard the front door shut distantly and the flat immediately felt eerily empty. Merlin lay there for a few minutes, his mind whirring loudly to oppose the silence outside.

Finally, he stretched out his hand to the bedside table to grab his phone and pulled up Gwen’s contact.

_Hey. Free for lunch today?_

~*~

Merlin was just giving the croissant finishing touches when a frazzled Gwen emerged from the back door that led to the bakery kitchen, with a wafting tray of cinnamon rolls in her arms.

She heaved a sigh and started arranging them, swatting Merlin’s hand when he tried to steal one.

“You’ve already had two blueberry muffins and one Bath bun!” she scolded, straightening up and giving him a stern look. “You’ll ruin your appetite for dinner! Then you’ll go to bed without eating anything and then you’ll wake up hungry in the middle of the night to eat crisps or something equally unhealthy and then –”

“ _Alright, mum._ I got it,” Merlin grumbled, going back to sketching baked goods instead of eating them. He was manning the till with his sketchbook on the counter while Gwen worked in the back. It was a slow afternoon and Merlin had had to only deal with six customers so far.

Gwen owned a quaint little bakery called ‘Cakelot’ not far from where he lived. It was warm, homey, smelled like heaven, and ranked at the top of Merlin’s favourite places in the world. He probably spent half of all his time there –reading or painting or just helping Gwen out –and he didn’t have a single regret.

“Plus, I’ve got to stop giving you free food. Not good for business,” Gwen continued, coming over to look at the sketch over his shoulder. “You know, that’s quite good. I should hire you to make the drawings for my new menu card, you can pay me back that way.”

Merlin glanced at her sideways. “You do realise you make me work for free here? I’m unpaid labour, I think you can afford a few missing pastries.”

Gwen laughed and ruffled his hair. “No, but jokes aside, that croissant looks really great. Would you actually be on board with the menu card thing?”

Merlin grinned and gave a shrug. “When have I ever been able to refuse you?”

“Great!” Gwen beamed, giving him a tight one-armed hug. She untied and hung her apron, threw a cursory look around the mostly empty shop and dragged Merlin to one of the corner tables.

“Now,” she said, placing her elbows on the surface and giving him all her attention. “Tell me what’s new with you.”

Merlin tried not to squirm, his mind instantly landing on Arthur. “Err,” he stammered, wracking his brain for _anything else._ “So, my parents returned from Ecuador last week.”

Gwen chuckled, giving him a strange look. “Yes, I know. They came down here for a snack. You were with them!”

Merlin nodded, flushing. “Right, of course. I remember that,” he said with a chuckle. “Um, so the gallery opening –”

“Yes, I know about that too,” Gwen interrupted, waving a hand. “Second Sunday of next month. What else?”

Merlin huffed, crossing his arms. “I feel like I’m giving an exam –”

“Oh, look!” Gwen exclaimed suddenly, her eyes cutting to somewhere behind him just as the bell to the entrance jingled. Merlin turned around to see a man with a dog sitting down at one of the tables.

Gwen had a twinkle in her eye. “What do you think about him?”

Merlin glanced back again and frowned, admittedly a bit confused at the change of direction in the conversation. “He’s cute, I suppose but you know I prefer bigger dogs.”

Gwen rolled her eyes. “Not the dog, Merlin, the man! He’s fit, isn’t he?”

“Uh,” he grimaced. “I guess?”

“Why don’t you try talking to him?” she suggested with an encouraging smile.

Merlin’s eyes widened. “Why?”

Gwen rolled her eyes again and Merlin thought he could try to make a drinking game of it. “Why do you think?” she sighed exasperatedly. “To try and get a date! When was the last time you went out with anybody?”

Merlin’s stomach roiled with nausea and he took in a composing breath. “Listen, about that –”

“You know, I almost thought you were having a secret affair when you practically disappeared for a month after coming back from visiting your parents,” Gwen said, narrowing her eyes. “Nearly had me wondering if it was a solo trip after all.”

“It was!” Merlin answered defensively. Because it _had_ been a solo trip. It just…didn’t end that way.

Gwen shrugged, her mouth downturned. “I know that now, since you ended up back on my doorstep without a boyfriend.”

“It’s not a bloody Austen novel,” Merlin muttered. “Stop trying to secure me a husband.”

“I’m not!” Gwen insisted, a teasing smile on her lips now. “I’m just trying to get you to talk to the cute bloke with the small dog –who’s definitely glancing in your direction, by the way –and see if something comes out of it. I’ll even throw in a free coffee for you both, because I’m an amazing wingwoman.”

“I don’t know, Gwen,” Merlin mumbled, looking down.

He thanked the gods when his phone buzzed with a text and he got an excuse to distance himself from the most uncomfortable conversation in the world. He unlocked the device hurriedly and –it was a text from Arthur. Perfect.

Merlin’s gut swooped low with gnawing guilt and he was sure that the gods he’d just thanked a moment ago _hated_ him.

He nearly jumped when he felt Gwen’s hand cover his own.

“Merlin, you okay?” she asked in a soft voice, her eyes heavy with concern. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to push –”

“ _No_ , no,” Merlin hastened to assure her. He would officially be the most terrible person in the world if he made her feel bad for trying to be a good friend while he hid an entire relationship from her.

“It’s not that. I just –I have to go. It’s Uncle Gaius. He has some computer emergency,” Merlin lied. He gave her a sweet smile as he stood up. “Maybe the next guy you deem worthy for me, huh?”

Gwen visibly relaxed and smiled back, nodding.

Merlin gathered his things at Olympic speed, kissed her goodbye and _fled._

~*~

Arthur was of the strong opinion that sisters were a nuisance and had absolutely no right to be as involved in their brothers’ lives as Morgana seemed to be.

Besides, it was just past eight in the morning. What _was_ she doing up so early anyway? Mornings were the only definite timeframe where Arthur could hope to find reprieve from Morgana and her harpy-like ways, and that seemed to have been taken away from him too.

 _Merlin and I are NOT coming to your made-up party_ , Arthur typed furiously.

 _It’s not made-up,_ Morgana insisted.

 _Tell me who else is invited_ , Arthur challenged.

 _Gwaine, Mithian and Elena,_ came his sister’s reply after a minute, as though she’d just fired off texts ordering them to come. He rolled his eyes.

 _So, your boyfriend, your ex and your ex’s girlfriend. Right, you can count me out,_ Arthur replied with an exasperated huff.

 _Don’t be such a spoilsport, Arthur. Just come over on Saturday evening, it’ll be fun_ , Morgana answered, and Arthur sighed. No matter how much he refused, he ultimately knew that he was going to end up at Morgana’s posh little flat on Saturday in any case, since _Merlin_ was involved. Adding Merlin to the mix was Morgana’s new sure-fire strategy to get Arthur to go places and it worked every damn time, for Christ’s sake.

Morgana would convince Merlin and Merlin would convince Arthur and Arthur would melt under the supersonic power of his big, blue doe eyes and well basically, he was a little bit fucked, wasn’t he?

He rued the day he’d introduced the two of them.

It vaguely registered in his mind that Merlin knew a lot of people in Arthur’s life –even closely enough to conspire with them –but he hardly knew any in Merlin’s. He’d never even met Gwen, Merlin’s best friend in the whole world, and Arthur couldn’t help but feel a bit uneasy when he thought about it.

He was just in the middle of sending another scathing text to Morgana when he bumped into someone and the bags in their hands fell in a heap on the ground.

“Shit, I’m so sorry,” he apologised, bending down to pick up the fallen bags of flour and a pack of sprinkles. He lifted his eyes curiously to see the other person and his heart nearly jumped out of his chest.

“Guinevere!” he exclaimed in surprise, for it _was_ her. He instantly recognised her after seeing her in countless photos strewn around Merlin’s flat –the same curly brown hair and dark skin and an easy smile that fell as a frown replaced it at his exclamation.

“Forgive me, do I know you?” she asked, her brows furrowed as though she was trying to place him.

They were in front of a bakery called Cakelot, which Arthur was almost completely sure belonged to her. Merlin had mentioned that she was a baker but had conveniently neglected to tell him details of her little shop.

Arthur pursed his lips, uncertain about whether he ought to reveal his identity.

“No,” he decided finally. His eyes landed on her apron and the swirly ‘Guinevere’ emblazoned near the chest pocket. He gestured to it. “I just –uh, read the name.”

She gazed down and the confusion cleared from her face. “Oh!” she laughed. ”Of course. My mistake.” She held out her hand. “Most people call me Gwen, though.”

Arthur shook her hand. “Arthur.”

He couldn’t resist smiling back, impossibly endeared by her brightness and immediately feeling a kinship with her, knowing that they both shared a person in their lives who meant an incredible lot to them, even if she didn’t know it yet.

He offered to help her carry the bags inside and she accepted with a grateful grin. They shouldered their way inside and deposited the flour on a side counter while Arthur took a moment to look around the place.

It was a quaint café of sorts, with chintzy chairs and small tables and a few pieces of art scattered randomly along the lavender walls. He could recognise Merlin’s signature at the bottom of some of them and his heart gave a warm lurch.

“They’re good, aren’t they?” Gwen asked as she followed his line of sight.

His lips lifted up at the corners and he nodded. “They’re amazing.”

“They’re made by my best mate,” she said with unrestrained pride. Her eyes snapped back to him. “Anyway! Would you like to stay for a tea or coffee? I’ll throw in a muffin on the house.”

Arthur probably didn’t have the time and his father would definitely have a conniption if he turned up half an hour late for the scheduled board meeting but then again, he couldn’t possibly think of refusing her disarming smile. “Sure.”

Gwen turned out to be one of the best people Arthur had ever met, her liveliness seeming to fill up the whole room. The coffee was great, the muffin even more so and Arthur could see why Merlin chose to spend so much of his time in this delightful place, with this delightful person.

It was nearing nine when Arthur decided that he couldn’t delay his departure any longer and took out his wallet to pay for the coffee.

“No, no,” Gwen said, brushing his hand away. “You’re my first customer of the day. The coffee is on me.”

He raised an amused eyebrow at her. “Is this how you’ve been running a business, Guinevere?”

She grinned, a twinkle in her eye. “Wouldn’t you like to know? Trying to find out if I give free stuff to every posh boy in a suit that comes around?”

Arthur laughed in surprise. “That actually did not occur to me and now I’m hurt,” he said, with an exaggerated pout as he headed for the door. “I’ll see you around, Gwen. Maybe next time you’ll divulge your business secrets to me.”

His fingers had just closed around the handle when Gwen called. “Wait!”

Arthur stopped in his tracks and turned around to face her as she ducked out from behind the counter. “Yeah?”

She just stood there for a second, chewing on her lip nervously and studying him, as though internally making a decision.

She took a deep breath and a step forward. “I don’t normally do this but I was just wondering if –um, if I could have your number.”

Arthur stared at her, eyes wide and his blood freezing in his veins. _Fuck. This could not be happening –_

But then Gwen took in his shocked expression and chuckled, clarifying hastily, "Not for me! It's for my best mate. The artist?” She flushed a little as she continued, "I'm a bit of a mother hen about him and ...well, I hope I'm not being too forward but you seem lovely and –don’t tell him I told you –but Merlin has a thing for blondes."

Arthur felt his whole body relax and he raised a brow, not being able to help the grin that overtook his face. "Does he now?"

"You can say no, of course! I was just asking,” Gwen added quickly, tucking a wayward curl behind her ear. “You may not be single for all I know and I don't even know if you swing that way –”

"No, no. I do,” Arthur assured her with a small smile, writing his mobile number on the back of an old receipt. “I think I’d be very interested to meet this Merlin, see if I can get him to sell me one of his paintings.”

Gwen beamed, taking the piece of paper from him. “Excellent! I’m sure you two will get along like a house on fire,” she said cheerfully. “Hope to see you again soon!”

Arthur tried to remain as casual as possible, trying not to give anything away and waved. “I’ll be waiting for his call.”

Arthur left the shop with his heart feeling lighter than it had in days. There was no doubt that Merlin was going to _kill him_ for this, but there was also no doubt that it would be _absolutely_ _worth it._

~*~

It was only a few hours later that Arthur poked his head out of the mountain of files piled on his desk to be greeted with the sight of a rumpled Merlin entering his office, hair windswept and eyes bright.

“Hi,” he said with a grin.

“Hi,” Arthur greeted back, instinctively transferring the bulk of files from his desk to the side table. “What are you doing here?”

Merlin exhaled loudly as he walked in, unwrapping the scarf around his neck and draping it over a chair. "Morgana sent me"

Arthur’s eyebrows furrowed. "Where the hell did you meet Morgana?"

"Where do you think?” Merlin rolled his eyes. “She barged into my studio unannounced and sent me here, which –lucky for her –was fine this one time because I was in a bit of a rut anyway."

Arthur leaned back into his chair, smiling widely. "Any way I can offer inspiration?"

Merlin huffed out a laugh, stepping around Arthur’s desk to stand near him. "If I wanted to draw arrogant arses, you would be my number one muse, sweetheart."

Arthur reached out to catch hold of the edge of his jacket and pulled him closer. "You know, that would be a lot more insulting if you hadn't actually drawn me a million times."

Merlin made an indignant noise. "Ugh, I should have never shown you those,” he grumbled. “Neither should I have kept them lying around in the studio. Morgana _smirked_ at me when she saw them today and made some horribly inappropriate comments. I swear it was one of the more disturbing experiences of my life."

"I can imagine," Arthur snorted. "So, what did she want?"

Merlin leaned against the desk directly in front of Arthur, so his back was to the door. "I think she's worried about you and sent me to make sure you’re okay," he confided, smiling softly. Arthur’s heart warmed and he made a note to be a bit nicer to Morgana.

Merlin rolled his eyes and continued, "I mean, of course, she would never say that out loud, the bloody Pendragon that she is. The official reason for this visit is that I'm supposed to convince you to go to some party on Saturday.”

Arthur’s lips twitched and he drew Merlin’s long fingers into his own. "Yeah? And how do you plan to convince me?"

Merlin regarded Arthur with an amused tilt of his mouth. "Hmm, let's see,” he said thoughtfully. “I do have some tricks up my sleeve, but I'm afraid I'll have to restrict myself to partial nudity."

Arthur pouted exaggeratedly, finally drawing Merlin forward and onto his lap. "Only partial?"

Merlin’s arms instantly went around his shoulders. "Your father's in the adjacent office, Arthur," he whispered, eyes darting to Arthur's mouth. "There's a chance he might come in."

"He might but I don't think he'll risk it," Arthur replied conspiratorially. "Seeing as you went and said hi to him before coming here."

Merlin gave a short laugh, leaning his forehead against Arthur's. "I can't believe Freya would snitch on me like that. But in my defence, your dad looked only a little furious to see me this time. I call that progress," he said the last part in a low voice against Arthur's lips.

"Mmmphh" Arthur hummed in response, as Merlin finally bridged the distance between their lips and kissed him.

Arthur slid his arms around his waist as Merlin’s fingers threaded into his hair.

"Convinced yet?" Merlin asked between kisses.

"Mmm, only about twenty percent,” Arthur answered.

Merlin chuckled, pulling back slightly. "I'll have to up my game."

Arthur nodded eagerly. "Doesn't look like you have any other choice. You promised Morgana."

"A promise is a promise," Merlin agreed before taking Arthur's face in his hands and kissing him again, deeper and deeper until Arthur’s mind was dizzy and spinning.

"Okay but seriously, you did lock the door, right?" Arthur asked breathlessly when they came up for air.

"Obviously, who do you take me for?" answered Merlin as he pressed his lips to the underside of Arthur's jaw, his hands deftly unknotting Arthur's tie.

A sudden feeling of euphoria enveloped Arthur and he closed his eyes, soaking in the warm weight of Merlin. "God, I love you," he breathed out, the confession rushing out of him, his head too foggy to think straight.

Merlin stilled, and Arthur’s mind caught up to what he’d said. His pulse jumped erratically.

There was a gust of air over Arthur’s neck as Merlin exhaled shakily. He pulled back slowly to look into Arthur's eyes. "You mean that?" he whispered, tone far more serious than it had been a moment ago.

Arthur met Merlin’s gaze sincerely and nodded. "Yeah."

They stared at each other for a long second before Merlin’s face broke out into a brilliant smile.

“Good,” he said, leaning forward to kiss Arthur –sweet and lingering. "Me too. Love you, I mean.”

There was a smudge of paint on his cheek, the exact shade of blue as his eyes and Arthur couldn’t help mirroring Merlin’s smile, feeling like his heart was going to burst out of his chest with happiness.

~*~

“Gwen, I need to talk to you. Can we meet right now?”

Merlin had sounded an odd mixture of nervous and determined on the phone and Gwen wondered what could possibly prompt him to want to meet her so urgently. She knew Merlin like the back of her hand but she couldn’t dismiss the niggling suspicion that he had been shielding some part of himself from her for some months now.

Gwen tried not to think about it. It was most probably an unfounded fear and she didn’t want to assume things about her best friend without any reason.

Gwen asked Merlin to come by the bakery right away and twenty minutes later, he was bounding in through the doors.

He looked flushed and jittery, bouncing a little on his feet as though he would lose his nerve if he stayed still.

“Merlin,” Gwen said gently, walking up to him and laying a comforting hand on his arm. “Calm down. Whatever it is, it’ll be okay. Come, let’s sit.”

Merlin ran a hand through his hair and nodded, sliding into one of the chairs. Gwen took the one across from him.

“I’m sorry for springing this on you out of nowhere,” Merlin said sheepishly. “I just couldn’t wait any longer. I need to tell you something.”

“No, it’s perfectly all right,” Gwen assured him with a smile. She thumbed the piece of paper in her pocket that she’d picked up just before he’d arrived. “I actually have something for you too. But wait, tell me your thing first. I haven’t seen you this frantic in ages.”

Merlin bit his lip, fiddling with the ends of his unevenly draped scarf. “How about we both say it together?” he suggested.

Gwen raised her eyebrows. “Are you sure?”

Merlin nodded, meeting her eyes. “Yeah, I’d like that. Makes it easier, I think.”

“Um, okay then,” Gwen agreed with a slight frown. The contradiction in their moods was obvious and she felt a bit wrong-footed. She was quite excited to give Arthur’s number to Merlin. Merlin, however, just looked a bit sick. “On the count of three?”

Merlin took a deep breath and gave another nod.

“Okay, here we go. One…two…three…”

"I got you a fit bloke's number!"

"I have a boyfriend."

They stared at each other for a moment, registering the other’s words.

Gwen stared at him incredulously. “Did you just say you have a boyfriend?”

Merlin’s forehead was lined with confusion. “You got me someone’s number?”

“Well –” Gwen shook her head, trying to wrap her head around the idea of Merlin _already in a relationship_. “Well, that doesn’t matter now, does it? Wow. I –I didn’t even know you fancied anyone.”

Merlin was looking at her nervously, a plea in his eyes. He took her hand in his own. “I’m sorry for not telling you, Gwen. I really am.”

Gwen looked down at their hands, her shock fading into something a bit more hurting now. “How long have you been seeing them?”

Merlin winced, closing his eyes for a brief second. “Five months,” he murmured after a pause.

“ _Five months?”_ Gwen gaped at him in shock. “What do you mean, _five months_?”

Merlin was looking more and more like a kicked puppy with each passing second and Gwen’s heart melted a little. She softened her tone. “I just –how? We meet, like, four times _a week_ , Merlin,” she said emphatically, going on to quickly add, “Not to say that I’m not happy for you, because _I am_. I just don’t…I don’t understand.”

“You were right the other day,” Merlin confessed guiltily. “About me having a secret affair after I returned from Ecuador.”

Gwen remembered that month clearly. Merlin had gone to visit his parents in South America, where they had temporarily moved to study the newly discovered species of dwarf dragons and he’d called her constantly from there, regaling her with the events of his day.

Although, after coming back, he had practically gone underground for some time. She only saw him about three times in a matter of four weeks –which was extremely unusual for them –and she couldn’t, for the life of her, figure out what on Earth was going on with him. He’d been cagey and furtive that whole month and Gwen had almost anticipated some news. However, when none came, she’d dismissed his strange behaviour and moved on.

“So, you met your boyfriend in Ecuador?” Gwen asked with a raised brow.

Merlin shook his head, two twin spots of colour appearing on his cheeks. “No, er, I met him at the airport. On the way back,” he bit back a smile. “He turned out to have the seat next to mine on the flight.”

Gwen frowned. Something about that sounded very familiar and like a puzzle piece, the memory suddenly clicked into place. She gave a gasp, “Wait, you don’t mean that bloke you fought with at the airport? And then complained about for half an hour?”

Merlin cleared his throat, his blush deepening. “Um, yes. That would be him.”

"I thought you hated him."

"Well, we got along afterwards, okay?" Merlin mumbled.

Gwen was surprised. She still remembered just angry he’d been that day. "Really? When?"

Merlin huffed, crossing his arms. "When I snogged him outside Heathrow in front of at least a million people, Gwen.” He flashed her a tiny, mischievous smile. “Turns out he was pretty _on board_ with that.”

Gwen couldn’t help but snort, rolling her eyes. “Plane-related humour doesn’t become you, Merlin.”

Merlin shrugged, grinning and some of the tension in the conversation drained out.

However, his smile faded again after a moment and he looked down. “I’m sorry. I meant to tell you but it just…got away from me.”

Gwen squeezed his hand, her heart aching at seeing like this. “No, Merlin. Don’t apologise, you didn’t do anything wrong. You just caught me off-guard. I won’t lie, it does sting a little bit,” she admitted with a sad smile. “But it’s fine, I’ll get over it. I just,” she took a slow breath, “I would –I would like to understand why. Did I do something to make you think you couldn’t confide in me anymore? Because if so –”

“No!” Merlin exclaimed, eyes wide. “Not at all. _Please_ don’t think that. You didn’t do anything, I swear. I didn’t tell you because of my own stupid issues.”

Merlin fiddled with his sleeves, seeming to have an internal struggle. Finally, he exhaled, meeting her eyes tentatively. “You’ve been there for me through a lot, Gwen, especially through every trainwreck of a relationship that kept going wrong. I would break down every time and you built me back up, no matter what it was and how long it took. I feel like –” he inhaled shakily. “I feel like I’ve been dumping all my problems on you _for years_ and you’ve just been dealing with it.”

A sharp pain cut through Gwen’s heart and she shook her head ardently. “No _….Merlin._ ”

He soldiered on, “So this time, I held back a little. Decided to wait a bit to see if it would blow up in my face before telling you, because _god Gwen,_ he was such a bastard and I didn’t know what the hell I was doing. But, amazingly, somehow, it worked. _We_ worked. By the time I realised that, it’d already been too long and I felt guilty for not telling you but I didn’t know how to bring it up without making things awkward. I’m sorry.”

There was a prickling sensation at the edges of Gwen’s eyes. She didn’t know what to say. All those times Merlin had come to her, crushed and lost, all she’d thought about was how much it hurt her to see him like that, how much better he deserved than the hand life kept dealing him. How much she wanted to punch the bloody vermin who managed to break him like that.

Merlin was the strongest person Gwen had ever known.

And to think that he had been feeling all this, feeling like he was somehow a _burden_ on her and she didn’t have a clue about it…

She stood from her chair, dragged Merlin up by one arm and pulled him into a bone-crushing hug. Merlin gave a surprised yelp.

“You idiot!” Gwen scolded, squeezing him tighter. “Don’t _ever_ think you’re anything less than an absolute delight for me. I can’t believe _this_ was your reason for not telling me,” she drew back, looking him straight in the eye. “ _Listen to me._ You will never be a burden. On _anyone._ I love you, I care about you and I’m _happy_ to help you.”

Merlin was smiling at her, his eyes shining. He nodded. “Thank you.”

Gwen gave him one last hug before they sat down again. “So, what made you decide to tell me today? Right now?”

“It was time,” he said simply, flushing scarlet and Gwen thought she might have to pry another secret out of him later.

"I really like him, Gwen," he continued softly. “I…love him.”

Gwen’s heart felt too large for her chest at the sight of Merlin’s happiness. “I’m so happy for you,” she replied. “Ugh, I can’t believe some bloke’s been making you this moony-eyed for months and I didn’t have any idea. You’re so thick sometimes, Merlin, _god._ ”

Merlin rolled his eyes. “Funny, that last bit sounded just like something Arthur would say.”

A beat passed.

Gwen frowned, the forgotten receipt in her pant pocket making a reappearance in her mind. “Who?”

Merlin gave a long-suffering sigh but she could see the pleased tilt of his mouth. “The utter pillock I’m saddled with right now.”

Gwen’s pulse started racing a bit faster and she sat up straight. “Um, Merlin. Can you describe him for me a little?”

Merlin blinked. “Why?”

“Just do it.”

Merlin shrugged, resting his chin on his hand thoughtfully. “Err, well he’s blond and has blue eyes and comes off as an arrogant businessman at first glance. I mean, _he is_ but he’s also not that bad. Oh, and his accent. He has this ridiculous –”

“Posh accent?” Gwen cut in, her heart thudding loudly.

Merlin’s brows furrowed. “Uh…yes. How do you –”

Gwen couldn’t contain her giddy smile. “That’s the blonde prat whose number I got you. The one I was convinced was perfect for you.”

She fished out the paper from her pocket and presented it to him. Merlin took it uncertainly, reading the number and the name scrawled over it.

His jaw fell open and he exclaimed, “That’s my blonde prat!”

Gwen had the urge to laugh hysterically, because this couldn’t possibly be real. “Yes,” she said. “It seems so. Looks like we were both here to tell each other about the same Arthur.”

Merlin was glaring furiously at the number, looking like he was imagining many different ways to dismember the person it belonged to.

“I’m going to kill him.”

~*~

“I’m going to kill you.”

Arthur just smiled broadly as he leaned against the door of his flat. “Hello, Merlin. It’s not the weekend.”

Gwen bit back a laugh as she watched them.

Merlin gave him a dark look and shouldered past him into the flat. “I don’t need the weekend to commit murder.”

Arthur’s amused gaze followed him till he was out of sight, and he turned back to greet Gwen. "Hello, Guinevere. Come on in.”

“Hi, Arthur!” she said cheerily, walking inside.

Merlin made an indignant noise from where he was standing in the middle of the room with his hands propped on his hips. “We’re supposed to be angry at him, Gwen.”

“Who’s ‘we’?” replied Gwen. “I am decidedly not angry with him.”

“Ugh,” Merlin said disgustedly, plopping down on the sofa and sulking.

“Am I going to find out what I did?” Arthur asked innocently, looking far too endeared by Merlin’s antics than he had any right to. Gwen thought it rather sweet.

“What you did?” Merlin echoed, turning back to glower at him. “You met Gwen knowing full well who she was, and then you didn’t tell her who _you_ were and then you proceeded to give her your number for _me_ , like the poncey git that you are!”

Arthur rolled his eyes, not fazed in the least, which Gwen had no choice but to find admirable. “Oh, calm down. I couldn’t possibly go behind your back and tell her about us.”

Merlin’s deathly scowl slipped away. “Wait, what?”

Arthur shrugged. “It wasn’t my secret to tell, Merlin,” he said, and added with a teasing smile. “As for the number, she said you have a thing for blondes. What choice did I have after that?”

"You're such an arse." Merlin blushed, hiding his face in his hands. “Why did you tell him _that_ , Gwen? As if his head’s already not big enough.”

Gwen held up her hands in surrender. “I was as much in the dark as you.”

“Fancy a cuppa, Gwen? I think you have a lot to catch up on,” Arthur said to her.

She grinned, taking a seat next to Merlin. “That would be lovely, thank you.”

“Make one for me too!” Merlin called from between his fingers, as Arthur headed towards the kitchen.

“Not if you’re going to complain about it as usual,” Arthur yelled back and Gwen laughed.

“It’s not funny. I hate him,” Merlin griped. “He always makes the tea wrong and then says _my_ way is faulty. As if he was born perfect.”

Gwen bit back a smile. “Yes, I can see how much you hate him.”

Merlin rolled his eyes. “Okay, don’t you start now,” he said, as though Gwen couldn’t hear just how unbearably fond his voice got when talking about Arthur. She didn’t think even _he_ heard it, which was what made it all the more adorable.

When Arthur came back, they talked and they laughed. Then they talked some more and when there was nothing more to talk about, they decided to end the night with a film.

("What do you want to watch, Gwen? Merlin has terrible taste in movies.”

“Hey!”

"Who do you think influenced his tastes, Arthur?"

“Oh, god no. I can’t have two people in my life who like the Barbie movies.”)

Gwen observed Merlin and Arthur through the evening –the ceaseless bickering, the constant push and pull of their relationship and the underlying affection in every little action –and realised with a happy flutter that she'd never seen Merlin so happy with anyone else, or seen his eyes as bright as they were now while he argued with Arthur about pizza toppings, of all things. She had a feeling that they were going to be just fine.

Gwen felt a weight settle on her shoulder in the middle of the film and looked down to see Merlin’s messy dark hair, his eyes closed. He, squeezed between her and Arthur on the sofa, had predictably fallen asleep before the film was anywhere near the end.

Arthur looked over and rolled his eyes at Merlin, his lips lifting into a small smile. He reached out a hand to grab the afghan draped on the back of the sofa to gently placed it over Merlin’s body, as though he knew this would happen and had specifically kept the blanket there for that reason.

A bubble of warm joy spread through her chest and she nudged Merlin’s shoulder, directing him towards Arthur’s side instead. Arthur was surprised, sending her a questioning glance. However, Merlin went sleepily, eyes still closed, butting his head into Arthur’s arm, who instinctively lifted it so Merlin could snuggle against him, and he could, in turn, wrap his arm around Merlin's shoulders.

Arthur and Gwen caught each other's eye over Merlin's dozing form, and shared a mutual look of fondness –Gwen raising a teasing eyebrow at him and Arthur’s face going a bit red –and _yes,_ she thought with a satisfied grin, _this_ is what it was supposed to be like. _This_ is what Merlin had always needed.

They formed their own little bubble when they were together, getting lost in it, and maybe being oblivious to others around them, but Gwen didn’t mind. She was content to watch them like this, something hypnotising in how they moulded seamlessly around each other, as though made for the other. Their bodies were always angled towards each other, never away. There was love pouring out of every look they shared, no matter what words accompanied it.

Gwen didn’t believe in soulmates. It sounded too impractical, that there was one perfect person in the world for everyone. The concept was too fantastical and out of touch with reality for her.

But, she thought as she saw Merlin’s hand quietly slipping into Arthur’s in the silence of the night, that this might be the closest you came to it.

~*~

**Author's Note:**

> So I'm, like, 78% sure that I'll write a companion piece for this fic sometime in the future of Merlin and Arthur meeting at the airport. Exciting stuff :D
> 
> Thank you for reading ♡♡ I'm on [tumblr](https://acciomeriin.tumblr.com/)!


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